LOS ANGELES – LOS ANGELES (AP) — Hunter Biden’s lawyers will pressure a judge Wednesday to delay his trial, set to begin next month in Los Angeles, on charges he schemed to avoid paying $1.4 million in taxes.
The president’s son is trying to push back his June 20 trial date until at least September, noting that he is also scheduled to stand trial in Delaware starting June 3 on federal firearms charges. He has pleaded not guilty to both charges brought by Justice Department special counsel David Weiss, which he claimed were politically motivated.
His lawyers say they cannot adequately prepare for both trials at the same time and have sought delays — and dismissals — in both cases. If Judge Mark C. Scarsi denies his attempt to delay the California case, Hunter Biden could face trial in two federal cases on opposite coasts next month as President Joe Biden campaigns for reelection.
Scarsi, who was nominated to the bench by former President Donald Trump, will hear arguments on the request, which prosecutors oppose. The defense also seeks to block both cases from moving forward, arguing that the special prosecutor’s funding was not properly approved by Congress.
In pushing for the delay, Hunter Biden’s lawyers noted the “exceptionally challenging and high-profile nature of this case” as well as “the fact that Mr. Biden and the same attorney will begin the trial in Delaware just two and a half weeks before From now on the trial is scheduled to begin.
Prosecutors say the increased press coverage in no way affects the defense’s preparation for the trial, describing it as a “simple tax case.”
“He is not above the rule of law and should be treated like any other defendant,” the special counsel’s team wrote in a recent court filing.
The indictment alleges that Biden failed to pay at least $1.4 million in taxes over four years while living an “extravagant lifestyle” during a period in which he acknowledged struggling with addiction.
A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last week rejected a defense bid to dismiss the case. The appeals court did not rule on the merits of their claims, but said the issues cannot be appealed at this time.
In the gun case, prosecutors allege that Biden lied about his drug use in October 2018 on an application to buy a firearm that he kept for about 11 days in Delaware. He acknowledged an addiction to crack cocaine during that period, but his lawyers said he did not break the law.
Hunter Biden’s lawyers urged the judge last week to postpone the trial until September, saying they needed time to line up witnesses and analyze the evidence. But U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika in Delaware denied the request, saying she believes “everyone can do what needs to be done” by June 3.
The long-running federal investigation into the president’s son appeared poised to conclude with a plea deal last year, but the deal imploded after a judge raised questions about the matter. Hunter Biden was later indicted.
Under the deal, he would have gotten two years of probation after pleading guilty to misdemeanor tax charges. He also would have avoided prosecution on the gun charge if he had stayed out of trouble.
His lawyers argued that prosecutors bowed to political pressure to indict him amid fierce criticism of the plea deal from Donald Trump and other Republicans.
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Richer reported from Washington. Associated Press writer Lindsay Whitehurst in Washington contributed to this report.
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